


Binding Blues

by ToothPasteCanyon (DannyFenton123)



Category: Gravity Falls
Genre: Alternate Universe - Transcendence (Gravity Falls), Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-07
Updated: 2018-03-07
Packaged: 2019-03-28 02:53:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,681
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13894698
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DannyFenton123/pseuds/ToothPasteCanyon
Summary: He tried to make a binding circle for Alcor the Dreambender. It didn't work out. Inspired by headcanons in the TAU Discord.





	Binding Blues

                Well, shoot.

                That was Barney’s only thought as he leant against the strange forcefield keeping him inside a binding circle. It was like lying on dead grass; prickly, uncomfortable, but a whole lot better than standing around for another hour.

It was also definitely not supposed to be doing this to him. Him. A human! How was this even possible?

More importantly, he had to get out of here before his roommate came home. Stupid pro nat would probably try and exorcise him if he- not, not even just because he was trapped in a binding circle. He’d left his demonology textbook out once and hoo boy, Rayne was not happy with him. Barney still couldn’t figure out how a guy half his size could shout twice as loud.

He had to get out of here.

                Barney knelt and tried again to erase the chalk markings with the end of his pencil, but it wasn’t coming off. Was it- oh, wait, wrong end. And he still couldn’t erase them; was the barrier keeping even his pencil from breaking it? Maybe he should ask his professor… oh, yeah. What about his notes?

                Luckily, he had some on hand. Unluckily… they were terrible. Like, really terrible. He could make out one sentence from his terrible handwriting, and that was ‘Alcar: Pre Transcendence or Post?’ It was the title.

Barney flipped through his notebook a few times, then sighed in frustration and tossed it to the side. It passed effortlessly through the barrier and slid to the other end of the room.

                “Wha- oh, come on!” Barney kicked the barrier, then swore and cradled his crushed toes. He then lost balance, wobbled and toppled to the ground, still stuck inside the binding circle. “Great. Just great. What am I gonna do now?”

Man, he was the worst at demonology. Why did he ever think this extra credit project was going to save his grade? He was going to fail this semester, and he’d have to face his dad and tell him that- hey, wait, he had an idea!

“Chalk… chalk… please tell me I’ve still got it… yes, chalk! Perfect!” Barney kissed the stick of chalk, and promptly regretted it. “Peh, peh, eww, gross. Peh. Okay, Demonology 101, don’t fail me now!”

                Barney quickly drew a summoning circle inside the circle – a little smaller than demons usually liked, but he was working with limited space here – and traced Alcor’s star in the centre. Thank the stars this guy had one of the least complicated circles, he thought as he pricked his finger and let it drop into the centre. Then he stepped back and watched.

                Almost instantly, something changed within the circle. Black smoke swirled up from the ground, curling around Barney’s legs and billowing up towards the ceiling… oh, he didn’t think about if there would be smoke damage. Come to think of it, was summoning Alcor the Dreambender really a good idea? No, really, did he just summon Alcor the Dreambender to get out of a fight with his roommate? He did. He actually did. He should really think things-

                “Who dares summon Alcor the Dreambender?”

                -through.

                Barney stared at the demon, the actual Alcor the Dreambender, standing in his living room with the wings and the suit and the golden eyes, and he realized he hadn’t thought of what to say.

                “Uh… hi. I’m Barney.”

                Alcor raised an eyebrow. “Hi, Barney. You know you’re supposed to be on the other side of the binding circle, right?”

                “Yeah… I know.” A pause. “That’s kind of my problem. Can you help?”

                “What do you mean?

                “I’m stuck.”

                “You’re st- what?” Now Alcor looked very confused. “You can’t just walk through it?”

                “I can’t. And my roommate’s gonna be home soon, so I don’t want him to catch me.”

                “Wait, wait, hold up. How are you stuck, you’re just a-“ He stopped midsentence, and stared at him. His forehead creased into a frown. “hmm… okay. I see what’s happening here.”

                “You do? Can you let me out?”

                Alcor passed through the binding circle with little resistance. “Maybe.” He crossed his arms. “But first, I want you to tell me your story. Start from the very beginning.”

                Barney shrugged. “Okay, fair enough. So, uh… well, I think when I was four, I ran into a wall. I don’t remember why, but-“

                “No, no! Start from the beginning of how you got yourself into a binding circle!” Alcor’s wings flared in frustration. “What were you doing?”

                “Oh. Oh, I get it. Well, I’m failing demonology class, and my prof gave me one last chance.” Barney leant on the barrier wall. “She said there’s this international competition that happens every year, about who can bind Alcor the Dreambender. She said, ‘Don’t worry, Barney, I’m not looking for you to actually figure out how to bind him, but, uh, give it your best shot and I’ll pass you, okay?’ So that’s what I did.” He stared at Alcor, floating outside the circle. “I guess it didn’t work, huh.”

                Alcor scowled at him. “No kidding.”

                “You look mad.” Barney blinked. “Oh, don’t worry Mr Alcor, it was nothing personal! This was just the last chance I had to get my grade up. I wasn’t really trying to bind you, I was just, you know- oh, who am I kidding!” He slumped down to the floor. “I don’t deserve to pass this year; the prof’s just pitying me, and I even screwed that up! I didn’t trap you, I trapped myself! Who does that? I’m sorry for wasting your time, Mr Alcor. You can leave me here if you’re really mad about the whole binding thing. I… I need to think for a minute.”

                Alcor watched as Barney drew his knees in close, his expression changing from simmering fury to something more sympathetic. The demon stopped floating, and knelt down next to him.

                “Hey,” Alcor tried to lean against the binding like Barney, but it was too flimsy even for that. “You know, um, maybe demonology isn’t cut out for you, but I’m sure there’s plenty of stuff you’re good at!”

                “Like being an idiot?”

                “No, no. Like, skills. What do you like to do in your free time?”

`               Barney shrugged. “Dunno. Nothing useful.”

                “Are you sure? What about, um… you drew a nice circle. You like art?“

                “Not really.”

                “Oh. Well, what about-“

                “Hey, look, Mr Alcor, I really appreciate it, but… I don’t know. I don’t know what I want to do. I just… I need to think.”

                “Alright. Fair enough.” Alcor stood up, and gently erased the edge of the binding circle. He cast one last, hesitant look at the student curled up on the floor, and prepared to tesser away-

                “Hey, wait.”

                Alcor had never turned around so fast. “Yes?”

                “Do you, uh, want a tea or something?” He stood up and made his way to the kitchen. “I feel bad, just dragging you over here for nothing.”

                “You know I’m a demon, right?”

                “Oh. Yeah. Duh.”

                “Don’t worry.” He floated over to a chair. “I’d love some tea.”

                “Alright. Two teas, coming right up!” Barney filled the kettle. “We’re big tea drinkers in my family. My dad, I think he has more tea than blood in him most days!”

                Alcor snorted. “Is that so.”

                “Yeah, it is. My dad…” Barney’s smile disappeared. “Dunno what I’m gonna say to him about this. He’s a famous demonologist, goes all around the world giving talks and fighting demons; he’s real cool. You ever heard of Ben Flattsa?”

                “I have.” Alcor lied.

                “You do?” Barney stared at him as he put on the kettle. “Man, that’s awesome! I gotta tell my dad he’s, like, demon famous!”

                “Uh, that’s maybe not such a good idea.”

                “Why?”

                “If you tell him Alcor the Dreambender knows who he is, he might just have a heart attack.”

                “Oh. Guess so.”

                The kettle was heating up, so Barney quietly took out some cups. Alcor shifted in his seat.

                “So, your dad’s a demonologist. Is he why you wanted to study it?”

                “Yeah! I mean, he said ‘do what you want’, but I’ve grown up with all the circles and the chalk and I thought, how hard can it be?” He shrugged. “Turns out it’s pretty hard, and now… I don’t know what to do. You got any idea, Mr Alcor?”

                “I mean, I can’t tell you what to do.” Alcor watched as the kettle boiled, as Barney picked it up and poured boiling water into the cups. “But if you’re not happy with what you’re doing, maybe you can think it over. Talk to your dad. Stuff like that.”

                “Yeah, that sounds like a good idea.” Barney picked up the tea, and walked over to Alcor. “Hey, thanks for talking. I hope you enjoy your-“

                The front door sprang open, and a very short man stormed into the room. “Hey, Barney, you’d better not- _what the hell!!! What the hell is that_?”

                Barney jumped, spilling boiling hot tea all over Alcor’s face. Alcor wasn’t sure whether to clutch his eyes or cover his ears. “Rayne! Oh, he’s my friend!”

                “ _What the hell! Oh my god, what the hell!_ ” He backed away. “ _You’re in a cult!_ ”

                “I’m not in a cult!” Barney stepped forwards Rayne. “Wait, I can-“

                He slipped on the puddle of tea on the floor, and went flying. Alcor watched him stumble back up and sprint for the door.

                “I’m not in a cult! ” He yelled to the open air. Several lights turned on in the nearby rooms. “I swear! I just summoned Alcor because I got stuck in a binding circle!”

                There was a distant, “What the hell, Barney!”

                “And then I served him tea! That’s not a cult… I think. Please don’t freak out!”

                Alcor rose, trying to keep his face straight. “I should go.”

                “Oh, okay. Thanks for the advice, Mr Alcor!”

                And Alcor tessered back into the Mindscape, where he finally let a laugh out.

                That was, by far, the wackiest incarnation of Bill he had ever met.


End file.
